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Summer is just about here! And to celebrate the warmer weather, I like to take full advantage of the beautiful surrounds of St Francis Bay. The Cape St Francis beach is one of my favourite places to spend time, the sand always forms magical patterns and creates a fairytale atmosphere.

To celebrate the summer, I thought I would share one of my favourite easy and healthy lunch time dishes.

Mix the spinach, feta, mushrooms, nutmeg and dill together. Season to your liking.

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat.
Place 1 tortilla onto the pan.
When warm, flip it over.
Sprinkle about half the Cheddar cheese evenly over the one side of the tortilla.
Top with the spinach mixture.
Add a little more cheese, fold over in half and press down lightly.
Cook until the bottom gets a little colour, flip over and let the other side also colour.
Slide onto a cutting board, using a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife, cut into 4.
Serve with a little side salad of your choice.

To kick off Mo-vember I thought I would start with a little fun giveaway. I have a set of tickets for the CAPE TOWN FESTIVAL OF BEER, taking place the 22nd to 24th November 2013, to give to a lucky reader. Be part of the first ever GIANT beer pong tournament!

All you have to do is LIKE my At Home with Chef Angeliqueca Facebook Page HERE and be a follower of my blog – leave me a comment below telling me you have done so and you could be the winner of these tickets. Entries close the 15th November 2013 at midnight and the lucky winner will be drawn randomly and be notified by 2pm on the 16th November 2013

Now…what can you expect from this awesome event?

After the massive success of the inaugural Joburg Festival of Beer, the Mother City’s favourite festival of beer is heading back to its roots for the fourth edition of the one and oh-so-beery Cape Town Festival of Beer!

The festival will be taking over Hamilton’s Rugby Club in Green Point on the 22nd-24th November for a weekend of all things beer. With 200 beers on show, local and international brewers, home, craft and mega brewers as well as brewing demonstrations, best beer awards, food and beer pairings and guided beer tours there is plenty to learn about the much-loved golden nectar.

Receive your very own “Beer Passport” on entrance, collect stamps as you sample all beers on show for free and stand a chance at winning fantastic prizes and beer hampers.

For the first time ever, the festival will be running a GIANT Beer Pong tournament throughout the course of the weekend. Unlike traditional beer pong this will consist of giant balls which will need to be thrown into giant cups measuring 1.5m high. If you think you have the brains and brawn to back you, then grab your tickets, your mates and enter a team on the Facebook page now!

Brewers to look forward to at the Cape Town Festival of Beer:

Lakeside Beerworks: Set in the picturesque Kommetjie Valley, Lakeside Beerworks prides itself on being a naturally brewed and honest beer, produced from only the finest ingredients. Every beer that goes out under the Lakeside name is made in the true spirit of craft. Stretch your palate with their malty American Pale Ale, subtle roasted caramel Red Ochre Ale and banana/bubblegum Hefeweizen beer at the festival this year.

Triggerfish: Triggerfish brewing, situated just outside Somerset West, grew out of brewer Eric van der Heerden’s simple passion and hobby for beer and homebrewing in 2007 and took a leap into full grain brewing with 3 breweries to try it himself. Triggerfish Brewing has become a respected brand in the Western Cape with a focus on brewing exceptional ales. Their craft beer line-up includes 6 staple beers, with plenty of seasonal and once off brews, like the Kraken, a 1000 IBU beer, the bitterest ever made in Africa.

Devils Peak Brewing: As the name suggests, this Cape Town based microbrewery combines tastes from the US and Belgium with an injection of Mother City flair. Expect rich flavour and plenty of character in their Woodhead Amber Ale, Kings Blockhouse IPA, First Light Golden Ale and Silvertree Saison, all on exhibit at the Festival.

Robson’s Beer – Not only the part-owner of the brewery that produces the award winning beer Robson’s Beer, Donn Stewart is also a passionate advocate of responsible drinking and will be cycling a massive 1972kms from Shongweni in KZN to the Cape Town Festival of Beer to raise awareness around his cause. Be sure to stop by to hear about his travels and grab one of 100 special edition Double Indian Pale Ale which will be auctioned at the Festival with funds going to the South Africans Against Drunk Drivers association.

For those with a taste for international beer do not miss the Belgian Beers, Celis White and Carolus Gouden Classic, which both won awards at the Festival of Beer in Joburg this year.

With live entertainment all day, wine options, a variety of delicious food stalls, kiddies play areas with child minders and of course plenty of beer there is no reason to miss out on Africa’s largest Festival of Beer!

Secure your spot by booking a table for R500 and seat up to 10 people – perfect for large groups of friends, family or colleagues. Book in advance to avoid disappointment. Please contact info@capetownfestivalofbeer.co.za for table reservations or queries.

Tickets are R120 and R100 for students. No under 18’s will be permitted entry at the Festival.

Still on the Gluten Free path, this was another part of the a challenge I submitted as being GF. I have a LOVE / HATE relationship with chicken livers, I absolutely love chicken liver pate, however, I really battle with the texture of chunks of chicken liver. It is purely mental, I know! My family love chicken livers, so I often feature them in dishes. The sauce was beautiful and velvet like and worked perfectly with the pappardelle. Best part – this is a really budget friendly dish.

Place the flour on your work surface.
Make a well in the middle; put the eggs, salt, baking powder and oil into the well.
Using your fingers, slowly combine the liquid and flour until a ball of dough is formed. If the dough is too wet add a tablespoon of flour. Because there is no gluten to work you do not need to knead this dough for too long, just until smooth.

Sprinkle some flour on your work surface.
Cut the pasta ball into four.
Working gently, roll out the dough, using a rolling pin, until it is as thin as it will go. (This is tricky so be patient)
Cut the pasta into thick strips, about 3cm thick, place on a plate and cover.

To cook the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Place the pasta in the boiling water for 4 -5 minutes, when the pasta rises to the surface, take a little piece and taste it. You should be able to bite into it without it falling apart. (With gluten-free pasta, it’s a fine line. One moment it’s al dente, and the next it’s one big ball of mush, so watch the pot.)

Clean and rinse the chicken liver, fry in a really hot pan with a little oil. Fry for 5 – 7 minutes. Add the onions and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, sprinkle in the cayenne pepper, add the stock pot and water. Stir gently and let reduce slightly. Add the cream and parsley, let reduce further until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste.

Sprinkle the cinnamon over the cooked pasta, grate 1 block of the chocolate on the pasta. Top with the chicken livers and sauce. Garnish with more grated chocolate and a dash of fresh lemon juice.

Being gluten free is a new concept to me, I am still finding my way around all the DO’s & DON’Ts of eating gluten free. I was taking part in a challenge and decided that I would dive deeper into the world of gluten free, but I really had to do my research as to what is classified as gluten…and what isn’t.

Gluten is a protein complex found in wheat, now this may sound devastating to most, however there are many acceptable substitutes for wheat. For example almond flour is fantastic as it has a low glycemic index and is a low-carbohydrate alternative to wheat flour. As I learn more and more about this lifestyle change, I will share the information. Until then, try my Gluten Free Dessert Pizza!

Mix the yeast into the tepid water. Add one tsp sugar and whisk, set aside to double in size.
In a bowl, combine the flour, cayenne pepper, baking powder, rest of the sugar, salt and olive oil. Mix until combined.
Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, pour the yeast mixture in and mix with a spoon. Remember this is gluten free so your dough will not be very stiff.
Lightly flour your work surface, top out the dough and knead until smooth, this won’t take long. There are no glutens to work so all you are looking for is a smooth dough.
Place the ball of dough into a greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Shape out the dough working with damp hands, bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Place the nectarines on a roasting try, drizzle olive oil over.
Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over, bruise thyme and spread over the nectarines
Roast for 30 minutes or until golden and sugar is caramelized. Remove the thyme stalks and set aside to cool completely.
Heat 70mls of cream and add the chocolate to the warm cream. Slowly melt, creating a Ganache glaze. (leave a little chocolate for garnishing)
Pour the Ganache over the cooled pizza base, place roasted nectarines on the surface, spreading it out.
Grate white chocolate over the top and place in the fridge for the glaze to set (about 30 minutes)

This weeks Freshly Blogged Recipes are up and ready for viewing and voting. I was really excited about doing this, as baking is taking me out of my comfort zone, however this recipe, to me, was a setting a new standard for my baking.

Amarula sponsored this weeks challenge, if you would like to vote for my recipe, head on over to the Freshly Blogged Page and VOTE.

I recently attended a Mad Hatters Tea Party, which brought on wonderful thoughts of tea time treats and baking. Jane Austen came to mind when she claimed “Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.” I didn’t have any apples to work with, but I did have a few pears…and so I got my baking on.

Although not a traditional Rocky Road, this is my take inspired by the ingredients on hand. There are so many beautiful flavour marriages in this tart. The bitter undertones of the dark chocolate matched perfectly with the fruitiness of the pears and when combined with the velvet like Amarula, you are left with a delicious tart. Adding texture with the nuts, this tart just screams EAT ME – served best at afternoon tea with the girls.

Filling Part 1Heat the oven to 180°C
Peel the pears and slice lengthways.
In a thick botton pan, heat the sugar until melted. Place the sliced pears into the sugar and coat, removing from the sugar, set aside to cool.
Drizzle any left over sugar over the top of the pears.

Place the almonds on a baking tray and place in the oven. Roast off until darker and lightly toasted. When cooled, chop roughly and set aside. Leave oven on as you will be baking the tart soon.
Chop the dark chocolate roughly. Set aside.

Custard Filling – Part 2Whip up the egg whites.
Cream together the sugar and melted butter.
Add 1 egg yolk at a time.
Add the flour.
Add the milk and Amarula

Fold the egg whites into the mixture, careful to keep it light and airy.
Place a layer of the caramelized pears on the bottom of the frozen crust. Add a few bits of the chocolate and toasted almonds.
Pour half the custard mixture over the top.
Repeat layering the pears and bits of chocolate and toasted almonds, leaving enough for a final layer.
Pour the rest of the custard over the top again.

Bake at 180°C for 25 – 30 minutes. The tart should be just about baked, check by placing a skewer stick into the tart and it will come out slightly wet. Remove from oven and place the last layer of pears, chocolate and almonds on up and place back into the oven for about 10 minutes. Check doneness by placing a skewer into the tart again, this time the skewer should come out clean.

Let cool completely. Grate a little chocolate on top for garnish. Serve with fresh cream which has been lightly whipped.

In celebration of Woman’s Day on 9th August, I thought I would share an INCREDIBLY easy cupcake recipe that you can use to spoil the lady in your life. So come on men, get creative and surprise the women in your lives with a special treat.

Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Woman’s Day? It is in no way linked to another “Mother’s Day”. Woman’s Day commemorates the women who participated in a national march in protest against the passing of laws that pro­posed even fur­ther restric­tions on the move­ments of women. This year, we celebrate the 57th year of Woman’s Day.

Preheat the oven to 180°C
Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners
Cream the eggs and sugar together until the mixture turns pale yellow
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together
Add to sugar mixture
Mix the milk, oil and vanilla essence together.
Add to the batter
Fill up each cupcake cup ¾ way.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a skewer into the cupcake, if it comes out clean, it is cooked. If not, bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely before you ice it.

Sift the icing sugar.
Place the butter in a food processor and process until light and fluffy.
Add the icing sugar 1 cup at a time.
Add the lemon juice and food colouring.
Adjust the colour of the icing to your liking.
Ice the cupcakes before you serve.

Challenge number 4 is up already. Wow it has been a very creative journey with Freshly Blogged so far. Week 4 was a real doozy.

I love Mezze style feasting. These small plates of tasty morsels and dips originated from the concept of ‘taste, flavour, snack, relish’. With the cold wet weather we have been experiencing, I have been daydreaming of summer fun, sun kissed skin, crisp white wine, summery style mezzes being shared with loved ones and much laughter. This was my inspiration for this dish.

Spicy Mayonnaise
Place the eggs and cayenne pepper into a jug blender. Mix the two oils into a pouring jug. On a medium to high setting, slowly drizzle the oil into the eggs. Do not do this to fast otherwise you will not get the oil incorporated into the egg properly. The mixture will become think. Season with salt and lemon pepper.

Dolmades
Cook the rice in rapidly boiling salted water. Set aside to cool
Bring a pot of water to the boil.
Remove 10 cabbage leaves and blanch in the boiling water. Set aside to cool. (keep water)
Dice half the red pepper.
Cut the pilchard fillets in half lengthways and remove the little bone. Chop up the pilchards roughly, add to a bowl with the rice, feta and red peppers. Add the parsley and paprika. Season to taste. Add a tablespoon of the sauce from the pilchards to the mixture.
Lay the blanched cabbage leaves out on a flat surface, place a tablespoon of the rice mixture in the middle of the cabbage leaf. Tuck the sides in and roll the cabbage leaf tightly.
Repeat until you have desired amount of dolmades.

Green Bean Slaw
Top and tail the green beans, blanch in the boiling water used to blanch the cabbage leaves., set aside to cool
Julienne the remainder of the red pepper.
Shred half of the remaining cabbage, add cooled green beans and red pepper. Mix the spicy mayonnaise with the cabbage and green beans, seasoning to liking.